


Starving

by marblebutts



Category: Marble Hornets
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 14:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4182753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marblebutts/pseuds/marblebutts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jay attempts to steal food to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starving

Ever since this whole  _thing_  started, Jay had essentially given up any form of normality. Anything that was considered a basic need for living was quickly taken away from him, be it sleep, hygiene, or food.

Decent food, at least.

If anything, Jay still attempted to keep himself nourished. If he was able to maintain a job at some cheap fast food place, he would use his employee benefits to feed himself, saving up his pay-check for gas, hotel rooms, and tapes for his camera. The high-fat, greasy food that was once just a lunch for him was now his only warm meal. But when things weren’t so well off and Jay found himself once again jobless, he had to make a choice: Starve or steal.

Trying to maintain good judgment and the bit of sanity he had left, starving was essentially his answer. Anytime hunger struck him, he would drink water until his stomach felt like it was about to burst. Although it was efficient at first, his need for survival quickly took over and stealing did not seem like such a bad idea.

Jay’s first attempt at stealing food was not the most successful. He spent his time walking through a convenience store, picking up random packages and bags, pretending to read the label. He would then place the item back in its place and continued to walk around.

“Hey, buddy. Either buy something or get out!” The clerk yelled at him after what seemed like hours. Jay mumbled a small sorry and quickly left empty-handed. Another night of filling his stomach with nothing but water, Jay decided that a convenience store was not the best place to attempt anything like that and made a local grocery store his next target. He figured since a grocery store was much bigger, it would make it easier for him to sneak items into his pockets and slip away without being noticed.

Tossing a messenger bag over his shoulder, Jay made his way to the grocery store the next day. For the trip over, he kept his camera on as always, but hid it away in his bag as soon as he arrived. He mindlessly walked from isle to isle; doing the same thing he had done the night before. Picking up random items and putting them back, unwilling to sneak it into his bag. This routine went on for a while until a man approached him.

“Can I help you with anything, sir?” The man asked him, his voice stern. Jay looked at him, quickly noticing a tag that read “manager” on his neatly-pressed shirt. He tried to compose himself before answering.

“No, sir.” He responded, trying his best to not make his voice quiver. “Thank you.”

“Are you looking for anything specific?” The man continued to ask, now eyeing Jay’s messenger bag. Jay noticed this and subconsciously played around with the strap of the bag.

“N-no, I’m just looking for specials.” He let out a nervous laugh. “I’m kind of on a tight budget.” He wanted to slap himself once those words came out of his mouth. It was as if he was trying to get himself caught. Still, he smiled at the man, now more alert of his own movements. The man eyed Jay up and down and finally sighed.

“Come with me,” he said, gesturing for Jay to walk with him. Jay’s heart was just about ready to erupt through his chest. He couldn’t believe he was caught before he even had a chance to steal anything. He was about to burst into tears when the man added, “I’ll give you a copy of our newspaper page with all the coupons and specials.”

If this was any other day, Jay would’ve seen this as a sign. A sign that maybe he shouldn’t steal and that there were other, more legal, ways to obtain food. But even he knew that “any other day” was nothing but a memory now.

He wasted no time going isle to isle, now knowing where everything was. Quickly inspecting his surroundings for suspicious eyes, he began to sneak products into his bag. Slow at first, he soon snatched items in one swift move.

He took small bags of chips, apples, oranges, candy bars, cookies, and beef jerky. He opened boxes of granola bars and took each individually wrapped bar. He took anything that was eatable without preparation, never stopping until he felt satisfied with the weight of his bag. Finally, not wanting to look so odd walking out of the store seemingly empty-handed, he grabbed a cheap bottle of water and made his way to a self-check-out line. Paying for his small purchase, he walked out of the store and made his way towards his car. He paid close attention to each and every single one of his movements, trying his hardest not to draw attention to himself. Once he felt like he was a good distance away from the store or any parking lot security camera, he held the messenger bag tight in his arms and ran the rest of the way, practically diving into his car.

Jay drove to an empty parking lot that night, afraid that someone might have tracked him down to his hotel room for the stolen food. For the first hour he eyed the bag, contemplating whether to eat its contents or throw them away entirely. His hunger soon got the best of him and he began his feast of stolen goods. With each bite he would take, Jay would silently promise himself never to steal again.

‘This is the first and only time,’ he thought to himself. ‘I will never do that again. I swear.’

As time passed, finding a job became almost impossible, let alone maintaining one. The water method soon died down and begging for money was something he couldn’t bring himself to do. Eventually, stealing became less of a burden and turned into nothing more than a basic need in Jay’s not-so-basic life.


End file.
